Tom Brady is dipping his toe back into the NFL, but this isn't another comeback for the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Instead, he is currently in deep discussions to become a limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders, according to ESPN. Brady's potential investment into the Raiders organization is characterized as passive and he would not have any operational control or authority over the club in both business and football matters.
Of course, this is just one piece of the pie that may lead to Brady having some stake in the Raiders. If he and owner Mark Davis were to agree on terms, it would still require at least 24 current NFL owners to approve Brady's limited partnership, which is the case for all situations of minor and majority stakes.
Meanwhile, this potential investment in the Raiders is not expected to impact Brady's looming television career as Fox's No. 1 color analyst beginning in 2024, according to ESPN. The quarterback previously signed a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox and the network has reportedly given him their blessing to pursue this endeavor. Because Brady would not hold a position of authority with the Raiders, this overlap with media employment wouldn't be a conflict of interest due to the 45-year-old not having the ability to impact broadcast rights negotiations.
This wouldn't be the first time that Brady and Davis have linked up on a business endeavor involving a professional sports franchise. Back in March, Brady acquired an ownership stake in the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, which is predominantly owned by Davis. This also isn't the first time Brady has tried to become a limited partner of an NFL franchise as he reportedly explored that possibility back in 2021 with the Miami Dolphins.
Brady officially retired from the NFL back on Feb. 1 after 23 seasons in the league. This dip into partially owning a franchise would further hammer home that he won't be returning to the field in a similar fashion to what he did in 2022 after an initial retirement announcement. Even if Brady did try to pursue playing for the Raiders, it would have to be approved by owners.
There would be some irony in Brady gaining an ownership stake with the Raiders. The quarterback initially rose to prominence during the 2001 season with the New England Patriots after taking over as the starter for the injured Drew Bledsoe early in the year. Brady then led the Patriots to the playoffs where he eliminated the Raiders in an epic divisional round blizzard at Foxboro Stadium that included the infamous "Tuck Rule" where Brady's apparent fumble was deemed an incomplete pass. That call helped propel New England to a win in that game, a Super Bowl XXXVI title, and a 20-plus year run of dominance.
This is also just the latest potential move by the Raiders that has ties to New England. On top of Brady lurking as a limited partner, the on-field product has several former Patriots (the club Brady helped lead to six of his seven Super Bowl titles) including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, head coach Josh McDaniels, GM Dave Ziegler, pass rusher Chandler Jones and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
